


The Guardian of the Heart

by MsDizzyDahlia



Series: The Keeper of Dreams [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28344642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsDizzyDahlia/pseuds/MsDizzyDahlia
Summary: In hindsight, Thomas really should have thought this out. But still, this really wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He had only been looking for his book that his dad had deemed “too whimsical” for him, and confiscated. How was he supposed to know it would uncover a plot to destroy their neighboring village and steal their resources?
Relationships: Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders & Thomas Sanders, Thomas & Everyone
Series: The Keeper of Dreams [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075751
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> CW: Abusive parents, dismissal of gaslighting and toxic behavior, being chased down, fear of being punished
> 
> Buckle up folks, cuz this is going to be one hell of a ride.
> 
> This is a sequel to "The Keeper of Dreams" as I'm sure you've guessed. I had a lot of fun working on this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

In hindsight, Thomas really should have thought this out. But still, this really wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He had only been looking for his book that his dad had deemed “too whimsical” for him, and confiscated. How was he supposed to know it would uncover a plot to destroy their neighboring village and steal their resources?

He had honestly thought his dad was better than that, but power changes people, he supposed. Of course, he knew his father wasn’t the kindest person in the world, and in fact, he could be rather cruel, but Thomas would never have thought that he would stoop so low as to plot something like this!

It had only been a few months since his dad had been appointed the new village leader after the old one passed away, and this was what he had been doing with his newfound power? Part of him wondered if he should be concerned by the fact that while there was that initial shock of discovering the plot, he wasn’t really surprised. But he shook off the thought and decided to think about what that meant later. He couldn’t afford to be distracted, because right now he was being chased down by the very people who were supposed to protect him, on his father’s own orders.

Yeah, he really should have thought this out. Thomas jumped up and grabbed onto a tree branch, hoisting himself onto it, before quickly climbing higher. He thanked the spirits that he had grown up in the forest, and therefore was adept at surviving in it. He didn’t know how long he was going to have to hide here, after all.

The guards that had followed him slowed to a stop, having lost sight of him, and he held his breath as they began to search the area. They knew him too well, knew he wouldn’t be able to outrun them. They knew he preferred to hide.

Thomas was honestly quite glad that the forests were too thick to bring horses, because he would have been done for if that was the case. He moved slower than he would in an open environment, but he was still much faster than a large group of organized people. He hadn’t managed to lose them yet though.

He had to conceal a gasp as they started searching the trees, and felt his heartbeat pick up more than it already had, pounding so hard in his ribcage he was sure everyone could hear it. He really couldn’t afford to be found. If they dragged him back to the village… who knows what kind of punishment his father would administer this time. He still had bruises from the last time.

“Thomas? Hey kid!” The captain of the guards called out. Oliver, a tall, broad, and muscular young man who was only in his mid-twenties, and the youngest guard captain the village had had in decades. Thomas had always thought of him as the older brother he never had, and had to stop himself from instinctively answering him, reminding himself that Ollie wouldn’t hesitate to drag him back to face his father’s wrath. “C’mon kid, your dad’s really worried!”

_ Yeah, worried I’ll reveal his plans. _ Thomas thought with an eyeroll. Ollie was nice, but he was always dismissive whenever Thomas tried to talk about his father’s behavior. He was always saying that he “just wanted the best for him” and that Thomas “was being a bit too sensitive,” in a tone that suggested he thought Thomas was just being a spoiled little kid and overreacting. No one believed him when he talked about his dad’s violent tendencies. And why would they? He kept up the appearance of being an outstanding member of the village. Everyone had cheered when he was chosen as the next village leader.

“Really, kid, c’mon down. We know you’re around here somewhere.” Oliver continued. “You just need to get over it. I’m sure whatever fight you two had, it’ll be okay! Just come down, and then we can take you to him, and you can apologize! I know you didn’t mean to upset him!”

“Yeah, right. Because I’m the one who needs to apologize.” Thomas muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling.

“Captain! Over here!” Thomas startled at the voice, which was much closer than he would like, and looked down to see a guard staring up at him, eyes wide. Without a second thought, he dropped back down to the ground and rolled to his feet, taking off in another direction and not looking over his shoulder. 

“Thomas wait!” He heard Oliver call after him, but he didn’t slow down. Part of him wanted to go back, screaming that this wasn’t worth it. He was hurting his father, and hurting the people of the village too, and he was just being selfish.

_ He’s just trying to help you. _ A voice whispered.  _ He just doesn’t want you to disappoint everyone. _ Yeah, well, he gave up on trying to meet everyone’s expectations a long time ago. And besides, someone who just wanted what was best for him wouldn’t hurt him just to make a point. Someone who just wanted what was best for him wouldn’t make himself the victim every single time, guilt tripping Thomas and making him look like the bad guy to the rest of the village.

So yeah, he wasn’t keen on returning to him anytime soon. His father was toxic and abusive, and after he warned their neighboring village, he was never going back. So instead he kept running, though he knew it wouldn’t last forever. He needed a place to hide, and not just in the trees. In the trees he would only back himself into a corner. He needed to go somewhere no one else would follow him.

As if summoned by the spirits themselves, the trees parted right as he thought that, and suddenly Thomas was standing in the middle of a clearing, a huge cave looming over him ominously.

He heard shouts coming from behind, and knew he didn’t have much time. This cave seemed… odd, in a way he couldn’t quite place. But he was all out of options, and he’d rather die right here than get caught and forced to return home. 

Oliver burst into the clearing, worry written all over his face. Thomas felt a twinge of guilt at that, but he squashed it quickly. He couldn’t afford to feel guilty right now. If he did, there was no way he could ever go through with this.

“Thomas…” Oliver said, reaching out a hand. “Come home, buddy. It will be alright.” Thomas’s eyes darted back over to the cave quickly. Ollie seemed to catch it, because his eyes filled with realization. Realization that abruptly switched to terror. “Thomas wait, please don’t. You don’t know what you’re getting in-” Thomas cut him off by turning and running full speed into the cave. Hopefully it would be dark enough and have a lot of tunnels so that no one would follow him in, like many of the cave systems he had explored before as a little kid.

As soon as he entered, he was hit with a rush of warmth, which was odd for a cave. Most of them were really cold. Immediately his muscles relaxed, and a strange sense of calm settled over him. He was safe here, they wouldn’t come after him. He didn’t know why he knew that, but he did, and he decided to venture further into the cave.

Maybe he shouldn’t have, seeing as curiosity had been what had gotten him into this situation in the first place, but he really couldn’t help it. He’d been in a few caves before, but none of them were ever warm. It was suspicious, but he wanted to know more.

The deeper he went, the warmer it got. But it wasn’t hot. It was comforting, and in fact, he started to get a bit sleepy. Maybe his exhaustion from running so much was finally catching up to him. He decided that he could probably take a break, since no one had come in after him despite the fact that there only seemed to be one tunnel here, not a series of them as he had hoped. Maybe he should take a small nap, and then figure out where to go from there. He didn’t have anything with him, no food, no water, and no clothes aside from what he was wearing. But he could deal with all of that after he rested a bit.

He sat down, then flopped onto his back. The second he closed his eyes, he was asleep.

~~~~~~

Patton felt a familiar jolt within him, and gasped aloud. It wasn’t painful, but the fact that he had felt it at all was surprising. The others looked at him, questioning and slightly concerned looks on their faces. What day was it? Was it really time to collect the new gift the mortals had sent already? No… no that wasn’t right, they had collected the last gift just a month ago! They were still getting used to their new life, so why would there be another one? Did the mortals think they were unhappy again?

His butterfly wings fluttered, agitated. It had been a few decades since he himself had been gifted to the spirits, and subsequently became one of them. A few decades since he left his old life behind for a new one, but the memory of his old village had never left him.

He was now happily married to Janus, who had proposed to him in the same golden fields that they had first met in, exactly one year after he had arrived. Virgil had started calling him “Dad” about four or five months after that, and then years later, when the next gift was presented, he had been the one to collect them. Probably because he could relate to their experiences the best and was the most emotionally intelligent.

Most of the gifts had warmed up to him very quickly, which he was of course glad for. There were a couple that took a while to settle in, begging to go back to their old lives. Those always hurt Patton, because he wanted to send them back, but the cave was a one way portal. Once you entered through it, you couldn’t use it to go back. Only spirits could travel freely between worlds, no one else could possibly survive it.

But this presence felt… different, somehow. Younger than any other gift they had ever received before, and unaware of what was happening, unlike most, who figured it out pretty quickly.

“Were we supposed to be receiving a gift today?” Patton asked carefully. He was the only one who could physically feel it when someone new entered their realm. He felt the jolt of new emotions join the mix, the new presence that didn’t leave him until he had met the person properly and had helped them out of the cave. The others had no idea.

“No. We just collected one last month, there shouldn’t be another one for another decade.” Logan said, furrowing his brow. “Do you mean to tell us that you felt another presence enter the realm of the spirits?” Patton nodded, feeling just a tiny kernel of panic bloom.

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Roman interjected, echoing Patton’s thoughts exactly. “Why would the mortals send us another one so soon?”

“I don’t…” Patton started, but trailed off. They felt panicked, their soul was frantic, like they were trying to escape to somewhere. “They feel younger than twenty.” He said. “I don’t think the villagers sent them to us.” That was the only logical solution. He didn’t exactly look fondly upon his old home, but it couldn’t have gotten so bad there they were sending teenagers to what they thought was certain death! ...Right?

“So what, they came here on their own volition?” Roman asked. “Why on Earth would they do that? Everyone avoids that cave like the plague. Most places have stopped doing the sacrifices altogether.”

“I can think of a few reasons.” Virgil said darkly, picking at the food on his plate with a fork. “Think about it. All anyone knows about that cave is that people go in, and then they don’t come out. There are plenty of reasons why someone might want to take advantage of that.” Patton’s antennae drooped at the thought. Virgil continued on. “Of course maybe it wasn’t intentional. They may have been trying to hide from something and just didn’t realize what the cave was. Or maybe they did and decided going in was better than whatever they were hiding from. Or maybe some other reason. I know nothing about them, after all.” Roman elbowed Virgil lightly, scowling.

Janus laughed softly, shaking his head at the two of them and gently chastising them for fighting at the table. He then turned to face Patton and placed a hand on his arm. “Perhaps you should go find them, love. Bring them back here and then we can talk to them. They are stuck here now, and we don’t know if they had any family or friends they may want to see again. They respond best to you anyhow.”

“Alright.” Patton kissed his husband gently on the lips. “I’ll be back.” He said, pulling away reluctantly from his love’s grasp and flying towards the door. Patton’s wings beat against the air as he zipped through the village where the people who made their way to the spirit realm one way or another lived. Many of the residents called out to him, saying hello and smiling, to which Patton would quickly wave back.

Patton’s wings were different from the others that had wings, which had its ups and downs. His didn’t glide like the twins or flap like Logan’s, they fluttered. He was a lot faster than the rest of them, and a lot more precise. He could weave his way through the thick foliage in the forest with ease, whereas for Logan and the twins, it took a great deal of effort not to crash into a tree. It was especially hard for Roman and Remus because of how bulky their wings were. Thus they preferred to fly above the treetops instead of in between them.

The downside of having butterfly wings was that he couldn’t fly as long as the others could. Like he said, he wasn’t a glider, and he burned up his energy much faster than the others did. On top of that, his wings weren’t as strong. They were delicate and made for speed, not heavy lifting. He couldn’t carry much weight while flying. He wouldn’t be able to get up off the ground.

He didn’t mind the drawbacks that much, though. His wings were beautiful, and to him the pros outweighed the cons. Although… one thing he learned the hard way was that they glowed in the dark. It took him forever to figure out how to dim the glow, and until then he basically slept was a nightlight on his back. 

Patton burst out of the forest, coming up quickly on the cave. He slowed to a stop in front of its entrance, and looked up at it. It was a truly beautiful place, crystals growing both inside and out, and flowers everywhere. But it was one of the few places in the realm he tended to avoid, if only because of his mixed feelings about the day he was sent to the spirits.

He lowered himself carefully to the ground, watching to make sure he didn’t step on a rock and feeling the grass tickle his bare feet. He didn’t really like to wear shoes these days, being barefoot made him feel more connected to his surroundings. Carefully, he stepped into the cave, feeling the magic envelop him. 

He started walking down the long tunnel, humming softly as he went, a familiar lullaby back in his old village that echoed off the walls and gave it a cool effect. After a few moments, however, he realized that it might sound creepy or foreboding to anyone who heard it, and the last thing he wanted was to scare this poor person more than they already were, so he stopped.

Slowly, the tunnel began to grow lighter, and then the narrow walls opened up into a cavern. Upon entering, he stopped short, shock settling into him as he felt his stomach sink. The cavern looked the same as it always did, sunlight streaming in and illuminating the place, crystals and vegetation growing out of the walls, and a bed of flowers in the center, where new arrivals would wake up.

But it was empty. It shouldn’t have been empty. The transfer between worlds was always rough on human bodies, it drained their energy completely and only slowly restored it if they stayed within the cave. With how long ago he felt the new presence, they shouldn’t have been able to make it out of the cave. Certainly not on their own.

He checked around, making sure that no one was trying to hide, but he found nothing. With a heavy stomach, he had to stop and take in the reality of the situation. No one was there.

“And you’re sure you felt a new presence?” Virgil asked, raising an eyebrow. Patton had returned home, and explained the situation to the others, who were all a bit skeptical about a few things.

“I thought I did.” Patton said. “It felt just like the other times someone new crossed over into this realm. Is it possible for someone to make it out of the cave on their own?”

Logan hummed. “Possible? Definitely. But also unlikely. They’d have to be hopped up on adrenaline, and also have a lot of endurance. If you in fact were right and there is someone new somewhere in the realm, they would have had to crawl out of the tunnel themselves, and it is a fairly long tunnel.”

“I know what I felt.” Patton said firmly. “There’s someone else here, and I don’t know where they are. Oh gosh, I should have checked the surrounding area. They probably hadn’t gotten very far! I probably could have found them.” He facepalmed. How could he be so careless?

“I’m sure that you’re right, Patton. You are the only one who could know for sure anyway.” Janus said, rubbing Patton’s arm. “But we also know nothing about them. We don’t know who they are, why they are here or how they ended up in the cave in the first place. We should exercise some caution at the very least.”

Roman nodded. “I’ll tell the villagers to be on the lookout for someone new. Whoever this is might go into the village, so it’s best to be prepared.”

The others all nodded in agreement, except for Remus, who yawned. Roman glared at him, and he glared right back. “What?” He said. “I get that this is important and everything, but I’m tired! I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, and it’s your fault.”

“How is it my fault?” Roman shrieked indignantly. “You were the one romping around at three in the morning keeping me awake all night! If anything,  _ I _ should be the tired one!”

“Hey, Patton was awake too!”

“ _ Patton  _ is the keeper of dreams, dumbass! He’s  _ always _ awake at night!”

“Enough, both of you.” Logan chastised. “We’re spirits, we don’t need sleep, simply desire it. Remus, you are probably tired from an excess use of magic, judging from the amount of shifting you did back and forth between your human and dragon form yesterday. And since you didn’t sleep, you didn’t allow your magic stores to fully replenish.” 

“Wait, you saw that?” Remus whined petulantly. “I thought we went somewhere you didn’t know about!”

“Then you clearly do not know me very well. I know every inch of our territory like the back of my hand.” Logan rolled his eyes. “Besides, I usually keep tabs on you throughout the day due to the fact that you two have repeatedly shown that you cannot be trusted alone.” Both of the twins pouted at that, but neither of them disagreed.

Logan turned back to Patton. “I will search for the new human and see if I can find them. However, because I do not know who they are, it may take me longer than usual. I can’t use my usual seeking spells, since I need to at least know who I’m seeking to do so, but I will still try.” Patton nodded, his expression shining with gratitude. Without another word, Logan got up from the table and with a quick wave over his shoulder, left the room. 

“Pat, perhaps it would be best if we didn’t think about this right now.” Janus said, resting his hand on Patton’s shoulder. “Logan will find them, don’t worry.”

“What makes you think I’m worried?” Patton said, half-joking in an effort to keep things light.

“I know my husband.” Janus said gently. “Let’s focus on something else right now. I’m sure this whole mess will be resolved soon.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Patton uses a bit of sleep magic on Thomas at the end, but other than that I can't think of anything
> 
> The visualization of the dreams and the tree they all congregate around are loosely based on the Big Friendly Giant movie.

Thomas didn’t know where he was. He honestly had no idea what was going on. He had fallen asleep in one place and woken up in an entirely new one. It had been pretty, and oddly calming, but hadn’t managed to completely get rid of the sense of urgency that had quickly filled him once he awoke and started pumping adrenaline.

He had managed to crawl out of the cave, though hadn’t been able to stand up. He wasn’t entirely sure why. Somehow all of his energy had been drained, and it didn’t seem inclined to return to him very quickly. When he had finally managed to leave the cave, as he was… somewhat expecting, he was in a completely different part of the forest. If he was even still in the same forest at all. He had never seen trees like these, whose bark and shape closely resembled birch, but the leaves didn’t look like any he’d ever seen. They were heart-shaped, more so than just any other leaf, and in a whole array of colors.

Each tree had a different color, and there were what had to be hundreds of different shades of every color of the rainbow. They were beautiful. But at the time, his mind hadn’t really been paying attention to how pretty the new scenery was. He was panicking, because he had no idea where he was, and he had to deliver the news of the upcoming attack to their neighboring village before it was too late.

He had hid behind the cave when he heard something rustling in the underbrush. It was too big to be a rabbit or a fox or something like that, and too aggressive to be a deer. Which had meant it was either a person or a large animal that he did not want to interact with. Guessing from the fact that they hadn’t been able to sniff him out, he guessed that it had been a person.

His strength had eventually come back, slowly at first but then more quickly, and once it was fully returned, he had taken off running, down a path that looked more like a hiking trail than an actual road of any sort. It hadn’t taken long for him to come across a village, but he had decided not to go in, seeing as he didn’t know who the people were, if they knew his father, or if they would turn him in if they recognize him. 

So he had gone off the path and into the forest, and predictably, had gotten lost. These weren’t the woods he grew up in, okay? He didn’t know these woods. Now the sun was long past set, and the moon was well into the sky. He was hungry, thirsty, and tired, and still completely lost, with no sense of direction. Had he passed this tree before? Or was he thinking of a different shade of yellow?

The air was cool, but not too cold, and the forest didn’t seem creepy, like the woods back home were at night. Instead they were almost enchanted, what with the shiny rainbow leaves and the glowing mushrooms and flowers surrounding him. It was like something out of one of his fantasy novels. Of course, he was still utterly freaked out, and his senses were a bit hyper-active right now, but just like everything else about this strange place, the forest had a calming effect on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something bright come around one of the trees. He whirled around, half expecting to have to bolt in the other direction from some horrible monster, but in front of him wasn’t some huge glowing beast, but a single ball of glowing purple light. It was wispy, airy, and seemed to dance around, almost in a playful manner. What was it?

It looked like a will-o-wisp, except that will-o-wisps were almost always depicted as blue, and this one was certainly not blue. It whizzed around, circling him, almost as if trying to get him to play with it. He laughed a bit and spun around, trying to keep it in his sights.

“What are you?” He asked, even though he knew he probably wouldn’t get a response. He held out a hand and the wisp “landed” on it, though really it was hovering just above it. He stayed there, unsure of what to do, for a few minutes, and felt his fear and his anxiety slowly melting away. More of these wisps emerged, as if drawn to him by the same curiosity he felt towards them.

Not all of them were purple, they were all different shades of colors, ranging from yellow to green to pink and blue. They looked almost like enlarged fireflies, flitting about carelessly around the small clearing he was in. They seemed harmless, and he laughed a little. They were kind of cute, in a weird, ethereal way.

One of the wisps brushed against his cheek, startling him, but other than that didn’t do anything. The wisp, a pale yellow one, made a tinkling sound, almost as if it was laughing. He grinned at it. They seemed at least somewhat sentient, and idly he wondered if they could possibly help him. 

“Can you guys… understand me?” He asked cautiously. The purple one, who had still been resting on his hand, jumped back into the air and circled around his head a couple times, almost as if to say  _ yes. _ “I… think I’m lost.” He admitted quietly, still feeling a bit foolish for talking to these things. “Could you help me?”

The purple wisp hovered in front of him for a moment, as if deliberating, before flying off in another direction. The others didn’t seem to be paying much attention to him, going back to doing whatever it was that the wisps did. He stood there for a few moments, wondering if that was a yes or a no, but a few moments later, the purple one came back into view, making a sound that jingled like tiny bells.

“Do you want me to follow you?” He asked it. The bells got louder, and he laughed. “Okay then.” He took a deep breath as the wisp took off again, and this time he chased after it. He followed it to the best of his ability as it whizzed through the trees, almost too fast for him to keep up. On a good day, he could have done so easily, but he was already quite tired. However, whenever he was falling behind, the wisp would slow down, and allow him time to catch up.

Distantly, he wondered if this might be a bad idea, considering these things looked and behaved a lot like will-o-wisps and those weren’t always benevolent. But he was already here, he might as well follow through on his decision and see where this wisp led him. 

Eventually, the wisp started slowing down, and the trees started growing thinner. Where were they now? He slowed to a jog, and then a walk, guessing that they were almost there, wherever there was. Then the trees opened up into the biggest clearing Thomas had seen in this forest yet, and what he saw took his breath away. 

A small creek ran across the clearing, into a pond that was half hidden by the absolutely  _ massive _ willow tree that stood in the center. There were even more of the wisp things here, all of them seeming to congregate around the tree like moths drawn to a flame. Hanging from the branches were elegant lanterns in different styles, their insides lit by colored flames with no candles to hold them. There were also strings of lights that were strung between the branches, and both features lit up the area perfectly.

The purple wisp, which had been waiting patiently beside him while he took the sight in, started moving again, floating through the air at a leisurely pace, completely different from the purposeful and fast movements it demonstrated just moments ago. Thomas followed after it, curious as to why the wisp had brought him here. It was pretty, yeah, but he didn’t see how this helped his problem of being lost in the middle of an unfamiliar forest.

The wisp and Thomas approached the pond, and started circling around the tree to give him a full view of it. It was pleasant, with a tiny rocky waterfall and several of the wisp things floating across the surface of splashing in it playfully. That’s when he saw them.

There was a figure sitting on a rock, their feet dipped into the pond. Their curly hair was ash-blonde, with a few streaks of silver and ice blue. They were wearing a light and flowy dress, which was either a silvery-white or really light blue, it was hard to tell in the yellow light cast by the strings of lights. But the thing that stood out most to Thomas, was the pair of butterfly wings on their back, and antennae attached to their head. Wings and antennae that shimmered in the dark, and had a glossy, iridescent sheen to them _. _

The blue streaks in their hair were glowing slightly, and Thomas took a step back instinctively. Who was this? What the hell were they? They certainly weren’t human, even if they did look very humanoid. The person was humming softly, watching the water move around in the pond. The wisp, without hesitation, left Thomas’s side and flew up to them, nuzzling their cheek.

The figure looked up in surprise, turning their head to face Thomas’s wisp, then grinned when they saw it. “Hello little one. Did you need something?” They asked. Their voice was bright and cheerful, and sounded lilting and sweet. The wisp flew back over to Thomas, and the person followed it with their eyes.

They locked eyes with Thomas, and Thomas froze. He hadn’t been able to tell when their head was turned, and mostly in the light, but now that they were staring out into darkness, staring out at  _ Thomas,  _ he could see that their eyes were actually glowing a bright, piercing electric blue.

Without a second thought, he turned tail, and  _ bolted. _ He didn’t know who they were, but what good reason could anyone have to be awake and in the middle of the forest at this time of night? He wasn’t sticking around to find out.

“Wait!” The person called out behind him, but if they thought he was going to listen to that, they had another thing coming. Maybe it was because of all the adrenaline running through his body that he reacted so strongly, or maybe it was because he felt a complete lack of control over his own situation, but whatever the reason, he was panicking. More so than he had been before. All of his anxiety was coming back at full force, and all he could think was that he needed to get away from whoever that was as fast as possible.

He ran until he was completely out of breath, unsure of where he was going. He could have been running around in circles for all he knew. He collapsed on the forest floor, winded, and couldn’t find the energy to push himself back to his feet. Instead he crawled to the nearest tree, and pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning back against the trunk and trying to catch his breath, his heart still pounding.

Now that he thought about it, his knee jerk reaction probably hadn’t been the greatest first impression, but who could blame him? He didn’t think there was a single person out there whose first thought if they came across someone with butterfly wings and glowing eyes wouldn’t be to freak out. What kind of mythical creature were they even?

Were they a fae? They looked like they could be, with their shiny wings and unnaturally colored hair. Except that he had never heard of a type of fae that looked like that, and somehow that description didn’t feel right.

Something came whizzing through the trees, and before he could panic, he saw that it was the same purple wisp. The sound of jingle bells returned, and this time they sounded… worried? How was that possible? Oh what the hell, he was already in a magical rainbow forest with glowing balls of light and butterfly people, the sound of jingle bells conveying emotions was nothing compared to all of that.

“Who did you lead me to?” He asked the wisp uncertainly. “What was that? Who were they?” The tinkling of the bells returned. “I don’t understand, what… how?” He knew that he was on the verge of a breakdown. He had no idea where he was, how he got here, or how to get back to where he was before. He had had nothing to eat for at least twenty-four hours, because he had skipped breakfast that morning, and he had spent the entire day running around, trying to outrun people who were supposed to be on his side. He laughed, slightly hysterical, as his vision started blurring with tears. “What kind of fever dream is this?”

The wisp danced in the shape of an infinity, making more concerned jingles. He opened his mouth to answer, but a bright blue glow caught his eye. He would have brushed it off as just another wisp, except that it was much bigger than the wisps, and was the same shade of blue as that butterfly-person’s wings.

He sent a panicked glance to the wisp. “Did you lead them to me!?” He got bells in response. Thomas tried to stand up, but his knees threatened to give out the second he let go of the tree. He was pinned here. His heart rate spiked, fear taking over his body. Whoever they were, they couldn’t look very fondly upon someone whose first reaction to seeing them was to run away.

The person came into view, their wings beating quickly as they hovered about a foot off the ground. Thomas sank back down to the ground and covered his head, trying to make himself as small as possible. The butterfly person hesitated at his reaction, before lowering themself to the ground.

“Hey kiddo.” They said softly, sitting down and tucking their knees underneath them. Thomas eyed them warily, leaning back slightly. They seemed to catch it, and smiled gently. “Sorry if I scared you. I just got worried when you ran off.” Thomas still didn’t say anything, his only reaction being to curl into himself a bit more.

“You’re new here, right? You just woke up here earlier today?” They continued. Thomas looked up and blinked at them in surprise, slowly lowering his arms. How did they know that? They laughed at his expression. “This must be a really weird experience for you, huh? Mortals are usually a little freaked out by my appearance when they first see me so don’t worry, you aren’t the only one.”

Thomas felt a tiny bit of relief. They didn’t seem mad at least. But then he ran through what they said again, and swallowed. “What do you mean mortals?” What was he talking about? Was he not mortal?

“Oh…” The figure said, furrowing their brow and tapping his lower lip. “You mean you don’t know where you are?”

“Of course I don’t know!” Thomas snapped. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought that it might not be such a good idea to snap at the apparently not mortal butterfly person who he still wasn’t convinced wasn’t going to kill him for some reason, but he had had a long day, okay? He was definitely about to have a nervous breakdown, and this guy wasn’t helping. “I fell asleep in a cave and then woke up somewhere completely different! I’m lost in this magic- enchanted- forest-thing, I have no idea how to get back home! I haven’t eaten, drank, or rested all day, and as much as I don’t want to go back to my village, I have to because I have to warn the other village that my father plans to destroy them for personal gain! Which, oh yeah, I didn’t even know he was planning until today because I thought he was at least something of a decent person but apparently not!” He was panting as he finished his vent, and gripped the grass out of frustration. Hot tears were streaming down his face as everything that had happened today crashed back down on him.

“That does sound like a lot, kiddo.” The butterfly person said. “I understand this has to be really overwhelming for you. You’re in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, and you don’t know how to handle it, and that is perfectly understandable. It’s okay to be not okay, I can tell you’re trying to hold yourself together right now, but sometimes you just have to let it all out. My name is Patton, I use he/him pronouns, and to answer your question, no, I am not mortal. I am a spirit.” Thomas’s eyes widened. Spirits were basically gods, only gods were made up and only part of past civilizations that no longer existed, and spirits were very real. What was he supposed to do upon receiving this information? Bow?

“I…” He tried to speak, but didn’t know what to say. What was he supposed to say upon learning the person you screamed at and ran from was actually a powerful immortal being who showing disrespect to could kill you? Okay, well, the spirit had introduced himself, he should probably return the favor. “I’m Thomas. Also he/him, and uh…” Oh gosh, what did he say now? His breath started speeding up as he tried and failed to come up with something to say.

“Hey hey hey, it’s okay.” The spirit- Patton, reached out and gently grasped one of Thomas’s wrists. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help. How about I get you out of this forest, and then we can figure out what to do in the morning? We’ll sort through this, I promise.” Thomas didn’t really feel like going to sleep, but all of a sudden his eyelids started getting heavy, and a wave of exhaustion swept over him.

He slumped over, and distantly felt someone pick him up, but he couldn’t find the energy to fight. He just stayed completely limp as he slowly faded out of consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Cursing, Patton used sleep magic on him so I don't think that counts as drugging but I'm still gonna put a warning for it.

Patton stared at the unconscious boy in his arms in disbelief. That was… what? No… no that couldn’t be right. He had only used the tiniest bit of sleeping magic, enough that Thomas should have been able to brush it off easily if he didn’t want it. But instead he immediately fell into a deep sleep, and that left Patton wondering just how long it had been since he had been able to fall into a non-magic induced sleep.

He was so young too! He couldn’t be older than fifteen! Why was a fifteen year old filled with so much fear? He had said something about his father planning to destroy another village… A corrupt village leader, probably. Oh gosh, what would having a father like that be like? Patton wasn’t stupid, he could see the bruises on the boy’s arms and legs, he knew the signs of abusive parents. Patton’s parents had been bad, but not this bad! He had to get him to Logan immediately! And also sort out the situation with his father, because that sounded like it was the beginnings of a huge mess.

“Don’t worry kiddo, I’ll take care of everything.” He said softly, standing up and scooping the kid into his arms. He started to walk back towards the mansion, as there was no way his wings could support the weight of two human beings, even if one of them was worryingly underweight. The poor kid probably hadn’t eaten anything since at least the morning, if not longer. Patton had no idea how long this kid had been on the run. It could have been days for all he knew.

The dreams, curious little things that they were, danced around them, making soft jingling noises. Patton gently shook his head, rolling his eyes fondly. “Move along, sweethearts. This is not your concern.” Most of the dreams dispersed at his command, but one stayed, the purple one that had led him to the boy in the first place. It stayed behind, whizzing around and making concerned noises, as if worried. Patton smiled slightly “It’s alright, little one. I’ll take care of him, I promise.” 

The purple dream hovered for a few more seconds, as if debating whether or not to listen to him, but it eventually floated off, though Patton had a feeling it would still watch them from afar. He laughed softly. Dreams would often get attached to a specific human after meeting them, following them around whenever they were around at night like an eager little puppy. It was incredibly endearing, and it looked like that one had found its human.

Patton hummed the entire time he walked, using soothing bits of magic to calm the boy whenever he seemed to get restless. The poor thing seemed to have a concerning number of nightmares, especially for someone so young. Finally, he reached the mansion, and saw that the light to Logan’s study was still on.

Patton had tried convincing him to go to bed earlier, but Logan was an owl, and they really had no actual need for sleep, so there was nothing Patton could really use to get him to go to sleep. He had learned the hard way that there was nothing that could stop him, and really he couldn’t do it anymore without sounding like a big hypocrite. After all, he was also awake right now.

Patton gently set Thomas down on the grass, before flying up to the window and knocking on it. Logan startled from whatever he was focusing on, which Patton couldn’t see because he was hunched over it on his desk, and crossed the study quickly. He pushed open the window and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the window sill and raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

“I found him.” Patton said, pointing down at the unconscious boy on the ground. Logan straightened, his eyes going wide, before leaning out and peering down at him. “He has bruises on his arms, Logan. And legs, and probably some on his torso too. Too many of them and too deliberate to just be from playing in the forest, or from running away. He said something about his father… I think he ran away to warn a village that his father planned to attack them. And then… well, I don’t really know what then. I… don’t know why he would do that, but if he did, then he must disagree with his father’s plans. And… and he has a good heart, I can tell. If he thinks it’s wrong then…”

Logan nodded. “I understand.” He said, his eyes softening as he stared down at the boy, who had curled in on himself from the cooler temperatures. Logan straightened once more, climbing onto the window sill and gliding down to the ground, his wings flapping a few times as he landed. Carefully, he picked Thomas up before flying back into his study, and Patton flew in after him, closing the window behind him. 

“I don’t want to do anything without his permission.” Logan said, setting him down on the couch he kept in the room for when he decided to sleep in it. “From a quick lookover, he does not appear to have any other injuries besides the bruises, although I may spy a few scars, all of which seem relatively old. Let’s just put him in one of the spare rooms for now and we can talk to him in the morning. Get everything figured out.”

Patton nodded. “He’s so young, Logan.” He said softly, sounding pained. “It’s not fair. Why would someone so young have to carry such a heavy burden? He was probably chased, too. Being chased by your village’s own guards? Can you imagine what that must be like?That has to have been rough on him.”

Logan rested a hand on Patton’s shoulder. “It isn’t fair.” He agreed. “But there is nothing we can do to change what has already happened. Even spirits can’t undo the past. But we can affect the present, and in turn change the future. We couldn’t help this boy in the past, but we can help him now. I would suggest going to bed now, Patton, and rest assured, I will sort everything out. You’ve had a long night and Janus probably misses his cuddle buddy.” There was a mischievous glint in Logan’s eye as he said the last part, and Patton playfully batted his hand away, a grin on his face.

“Goodnight Lolo.” Patton said on his way out, glancing over his shoulder to see Logan scooping Thomas up once more.

“Goodnight Patton.”

~~~~~~

Thomas woke up as when the sunlight streaming in through a window hit his face. His dream last night had been absolutely wild, he wondered what Oliver would think of it. Then again… maybe Ollie wouldn’t be too approving of something so fantastical. He, like Thomas’s father, was grounded in reality. 

He rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes, and rolled over, trying to find the will to get up. The mattress was a lot softer than he remembered, and the blankets a lot heavier, and the bed a lot bigger… his eyes shot open. This was not his bed. And that meant… last night’s dream wasn’t a dream. Or at least, not the part about running away from home and getting chased down by the guards.

His bed was nowhere near as comfortable as the one he was in right now, his mattress was stuffed with hay that poked his back, and his blankets were worn thin as his father refused to get him new ones. He said that they didn’t have the money, and maybe they would have, if his dad didn’t spend all of it on alcohol. 

The bed he was currently laying in was the softest thing he had ever slept in. The comforter was fluffy and warm, making him reluctant to get up, even more so than usual. But he still sat up, wondering where he was now and not sure how to go about dealing with a situation like this.

The room was big. Really big. It was mostly plain, with basic furniture like a coffee table and a few chairs, a dresser, a screen for dressing, a rug, and three doors. One of them was open, allowing Thomas to see a walk-in closet full of clothing. He guessed the other two led to a bathroom and the hallway of… whoever’s house he was in. 

Thomas swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself to his feet. His legs still felt a bit weak from all the running he had done, but he didn’t collapse immediately, so he counted that as a win. He wanted to go over to the closet, seeing as the outfit he had been in was extremely filthy from running around in the forest all day, but that was when he realized he was in fact, not in the outfit he arrived in.

He was in a set of gray pajamas, plain but made of the softest fabric Thomas had ever felt. The pants were decorated with stars of all different colors, and a bit baggy but not in a way that interfered when he was walking. 

His skin wasn’t much cleaner, and his hair was still greasy, so he hadn’t been washed in his sleep, which he was grateful for. Maybe he should take a bath? Was he allowed to? His father hated it when he got the house dirty, and always demanded he wash himself after he came home, even if he had only been gone for less than an hour.

He didn’t know these people- or… spirits, if the events of last night really did happen, which he was questioning more and more if it was actually real with each passing second. They probably wouldn’t want him dirtying their house, which was probably the nicest he’d ever seen. And he’d only seen one room so far!

Mind made up, Thomas ran a quick bath, barely taking a moment to take in the fact that the bathroom was the nicest he’d ever seen. It seemed big enough to be the master’s bathroom of a lord’s mansion, not in a guest room like he assumed he was in.

Afterwards, he changed into a loose sky blue shirt and baggy black pants. And then… well… now what? Was he supposed to wait for someone to check on him? Or should he go out and explore? 

A rush of panic hit him as he remembered. “The village!” Oh, he had to get out of here! He needed to warn the other village of what his father was planning! He might already be too late! Thomas ran to the other side of the room, and threw the door open, charging out into a well lit hallway with several windows that stretched almost from floor to ceiling. 

Light fixtures made of crystals hung from the ceiling, glittering in the sunlight. The sun was well into the sky, and he wondered just how long he had slept in. Longer than he was usually allowed to, that was for sure. 

He shook himself out of his thoughts. He could think about that later. Right now he had more pressing matters to attend to. He started off again, not running this time but walking as quickly as he could. The longer he walked, however, the more his confidence and sense of urgency seemed to disappear. This house was really big, he had to have been walking around for a good ten, fifteen minutes and hadn’t once passed the same room twice. 

Okay, if this was where spirits lived, he supposed it made sense that it was so big. He probably should have accounted for that, along with the fact that he still had no idea how to get back home, or if it was even possible. There were no stories of humans returning from the spirit realm, they went in and they never came out. 

Despair started to settle in. There was no way he’d be able to warn them in time. Or ever, really. And to make matters worse, he was now lost in someone else’s house. What was wrong with him? Normally he was so good with directions! This place had gotten him all turned around and really, was that his fault? 

At the end of the hallway, Thomas saw someone turn the corner. He froze, a bit of panic setting in. What if they people living here hadn’t wanted him to leave the room? What if they hadn’t wanted him to explore? The panic only increased as he took in their appearance. They looked human for the most part, but they had a band of red scales that mimicked freckles stretching across their face. Their eyes were bright green, and they had curved horns that fit the shape of their head. On their back, there was a pair of ruby red wings, dragon wings, and a tail dragged behind them. Oh no, this was another spirit, wasn’t it? What would they do when they saw Thomas out of his room?

The spirit locked eyes with him, and then their eyes went wide. “You’re awake!” The spirit said, charging down the hallway towards him so fast that Thomas barely had time to blink before they were only a few feet away from him. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Uh…” Thomas took a step back. “I guess?”

The spirit smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth. “Good! I trust the clothes fit you decently? I apologize, I didn’t know your size and since you were asleep when I made them, I had to eyeball it. I can do adjustments later, if you’d like.”

“No, no, they’re fine.” Thomas tugged at the sleeves of his shirt unconsciously. “Uh, thanks for asking?” He said uncertainly. The spirit beamed.

“Oh good!” They said, clasping their hands together. “Well then, welcome to the realm of the spirits, my friend! I’m Roman, one of the two spirits of the arts. I, like everyone else in this household, use he/him pronouns.” He bowed dramatically, his hands flourishing. “Our dearest Patton told us how he found you in the woods. We were all terribly worried, even if Specs insisted that you would be fine.” He straightened and held out a hand to Thomas, who shook it cautiously.

“Um… nice to meet you. I’m Thomas. And uh… I use he/him too.” He offered a hesitant smile. 

Roman smiled back, and though it was a little unsettling, it was also strangely charming. “A pleasure to formally meet you, Thomas! My brother Remus is… somewhere around here. I’m not exactly sure where, so if you run into someone who looks like me, but is green and has a mustache, just be cautious. Remus is well intentioned, but he can be a bit… intense, to put it lightly.” 

“Thanks for the warning.” Thomas said. He still wasn’t sure what to make of this overly flamboyant spirit. “Um… you said you made these clothes? Does… does that mean that you changed me?” He asked tentatively.

Roman’s eyes widened. “I did, technically, but it’s not what you think, I promise. Here, let me show you how I did it.” He snapped his fingers, and the outfit he had been wearing, which looked like something a prince would wear, changed into a bright red gown that went halfway down his knees and had gold embellishments along the hem of the skirt. 

“Oh. Um. Cool.” Thomas gave him an awkward thumbs up, unsure of what else to do. “I… I appreciate all this, but I gotta go. I need to get back to the real world because I need to warn this village that my father plans to attack them for literally no reason and uh…” He trailed off, unsure of how to explain this to a spirit, or if Roman would even care.

“Ah, yes, Patton did mention something about that.” Roman tapped his chin. “It’s taken care of, don’t worry. We made sure that an attack would be an impossible feat. Even if they still tried, it would be a guaranteed failure.” He smiled reassuringly. 

Thomas felt a wave of relief sweep over him. The village was safe. “Okay that’s good.” He said, still feeling awkward. “I… I guess I have to go home now?” He cringed. Why did he even want to go home? No one there cared about him, he had no real life to go back to. Well, there was Oliver but… no. Oliver wasn’t a good friend. But still, it wasn’t like the spirits would just let him live with them.

“Ah, see… about that.” Roman pressed his lips into a thin line. “You… can’t.” Thomas blinked. What? Had he heard that right? Seeing his expression, Roman hurried to explain. “It’s not that we don’t want you to go home, but… you can’t. That cave that all mortals use to get here? It’s a one way street. There’s no going back. Only spirits can cross between the worlds freely because if a mortal tried, it would kill them. I’m… extremely sorry, Thomas. Do you have a family? We might be able to send a message to them at least. Tell them you’re safe.”

Thomas knew he should say yes. He should tell Roman that he had a father, and he should probably be more upset by the prospect of never being able to go back home. But… he wasn’t. It didn’t upset him that he could never return home, and he didn’t want to send a message to the only “family” he ever had. His father already knew where he was. Oliver knew what the cave he went into was, that’s why he had tried to stop him from going in there. They knew he wasn’t going to come back. They probably thought he was dead. He wanted it to stay that way.

“No.” He told Roman, looking him directly in the eye with a fierce gaze. “I don’t have anyone who would care.”

Roman must have seen something on Thomas’s face, because his gaze softened. “I see.” He said quietly, his boisterous manner dimming. “I’m sorry.”

Thomas shrugged. “It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry all the same.” Roman said, smiling a bit. “Would you like a tour? I can show you around this place, and then we can go check out the village. You’ll most likely live there, but you’re welcome to stay here too, if you choose to. I’m pretty sure Pat’s already adopted you.” He laughed.

Thomas smiled and laughed quietly, only a little nervous at this point. “Where is um… the one who found me anyway?”

Roman frowned. “You can call us by our first names, you know. There’s no need for formalities or titles here. And Pat is currently out on a romantic picnic with his husband, Janus. They’re probably being, as dark and stormy would put it, ‘sickeningly adorable.’ Honestly, it’s like no one else in this household appreciates romantic gestures like those two and I do. They think it’s ‘grossly affectionate’ or ‘completely unnecessary.’ What’s wrong with them?” He paused, and blushed a little. “Apologies, I went on a little bit of a rant there. Patton and Janus should be back later this afternoon.” 

Thomas nodded. The two of them continued talking, and Roman started walking down the hallway. They toured through the entire house, which was bigger than Thomas could have ever imagined, and finally exited through a grand set of doors into the outdoors. Now that he wasn’t on the run, Thomas really took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the forest surrounding the mansion. Out in the front there was a garden, filled with flowers he was ninety percent sure didn’t exist on Earth. He sat down on the fountain, dipping his fingers in the water and smiling at the fluffy bird-like creatures floating on top of the water. 

Suddenly, another figure burst through the doors, disturbing the peace of the outdoors. He looked almost identical to Roman, but instead of red, his scales, wings, and tail were bright emerald green, and his eyes were bright red. A gray streak ran through his hair, and he had a mustache. Ah, this must be Remus. The other spirit of the arts.

“Roman! The human is awake and probably lost in the mansion somewhere!” He shouted. Wow, he was even louder than his brother.

“Quiet down, you ass!” Roman shouted right back. Nevermind, this was just how siblings interacted with one another. “He isn’t lost. He’s right here! And he has a name, you know.” He turned back to Thomas with an apologetic smile. “This is Remus. Remus, this is Thomas. What are you doing out here, Rem? What happened to hanging out with Specs?”

“It was really cool!” He burst out, his face lighting up. “He was showing me some cool glowing moss but wouldn’t let me eat it. We went to go check up on Thommy boy, but he wasn’t in his room. We figured he got lost. Easy thing to do, by the way, so don’t feel embarrassed.” He turned his head towards Thomas. “Patty-cake wasn’t able to fully memorize the layout of the house for almost a year.” Remus offered him a smile that looked similar to Roman’s, but crooked, and a touch wider, making it look feral rather than charming.

“Um… thanks.” Thomas said, remembering Roman’s words from earlier. “I guess… I live here now. This world, I mean, not your guys’ house.”

“Oh yeah, guessing Robro told you about the situation with the whole traveling between worlds thing?” Remus asked. Thomas nodded, and the spirit made a sympathetic noise. “I don’t know a lot about that stuff seeing as I was born here and raised a spirit, but a lot of people that live here know what it’s like to be forced to leave their entire life behind. None of them came here on their own will, they were given up by their own people. We’ve tried to get villages to stop the human sacrifices, but nothing we’ve tried works. They always think we’re unhappy with their offerings, and send us more. It gets annoying after a little while.”

“And Patton knows the feeling better than anyone. It’s not our story to tell, really, but you should ask Pat about it. You two might actually have a lot in common.” Roman added. “Now, I was thinking that we could go down to the village and introduce you to some of the people there. Then we can come back here and you can talk to Pat, and then you can decide where you want to live. And remember, it’s entirely your choice. Even if you choose the village, you’ll always have a room here should you need it.”

Thomas nodded. “Thank you. This is just… a lot.”

“Everyone has days where they’re overwhelmed, dude.” Another voice came out of nowhere, causing Thomas to jump. He whipped around, looking for the source but couldn’t see anyone else besides the three of them.

Roman sighed, sounding slightly irritated. “Really Virgil? Could you like- not scare the shit out of someone while making an entrance just once?”

“Hey!” The disembodied voice said. “I’ll have you no that I haven’t freaked anyone out in almost a month now!” Then someone  _ rose up out of Roman’s shadow, _ and Thomas had to stop himself from screaming. They were another spirit, they had to be, but they were by far the creepiest one he had seen so far. He had eight eyes, each with black scleras, purple irises, and white pupils, and six spider legs growing out of his back. He wore an oversized black and purple hoodie and had extremely pale skin, it looked pasty and chalk white.

Roman whipped around, not looking surprised or scared in the slightest, only annoyed, and opened his mouth to reply. The spider-spirit turned to Thomas, completely ignoring whatever Roman said, and offered Thomas a two fingered salute.

“‘Sup. I’m Virgil, spirit of fear, death, the night, you know, all that creepy shit. I’m Janus and Patton’s son.” He smiled, showing off actual spider fangs. If Thomas thought Roman and Remus’s smiles were unnerving, it was nothing compared to this.

“Don’t mind him. He isn’t going to hurt you, he’s harmless.” Roman said, glaring at Virgil for emphasis. Virgil stuck his tongue out in response, earning an indignant scoff.

“If you two are done flirting.” Remus jumped in. Both boys turned red, though it was more obvious on Virgil, as Roman’s tan almond skin made the flush more subtle.

“W-we are not-  _ flirting _ you ass!” Roman shouted. Remus was cackling, Virgil was burying his  face in his hands, and Thomas cracked a smile. For people who were basically gods, they sure were goofy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! This one's a bit shorter than the others, so sorry about that :/
> 
> CW: Mentions of abuse

Thomas had spent the rest of his afternoon with three spirits powerful enough to kill him with the snap of their fingers, joking around and teasing them like they were just regular human teenagers.

They almost were, too. If you could look past their animalistic traits, you could see that Virgil barely looked eighteen, despite being hundreds of years old, the twins looked like they were barely older than him. The other one, Patton, the one that found him, had only looked to be in his early twenties from what Thomas remembered, and apparently this was the norm for spirits. He would have thought they’d all look in their thirties and forties, not twenties. He had not expected them to look like they were barely out of their teenage years. 

The three of them had introduced him to everyone in the village, and they all looked to be about twenty or so, though everyone seemed to be at least a decade apart in age. They were all incredibly friendly, and it was weird to be looked at by other people without a single drop of judgement or disgust in their gaze. Their expressions were all curious and a little confused, he did look a lot younger than the rest of them, but sympathetic and warm all the same. 

Now it was late afternoon, the sun was beginning to go down, and Thomas was wondering when Patton and his husband would be getting back. The three of them had promised it would be soon, and in the meantime had introduced him to Logan, the spirit of wisdom. He was nice enough, though he seemed a little cold. The others had said that was just how he was, and he was still really kind and supportive once you got to know him a bit better. 

They were all sitting on the steps outside the front door, watching as the sun started to get low in the sky, turning it golden. Thomas was staring down the path that led back to the village, looking to see if anyone was coming. He had no idea what Patton’s husband looked like, and had only seen Patton himself in the dark, though the butterfly wings and antennae were bound to be a giveaway anyway.

“They won’t be coming down that path, you know.” Virgil said casually, scanning the forest line vigilantly. “They go off into the woods every day to frolic around and be sappy and affectionate with one another, they don’t use the path.”

“Oh.” Thomas said, flushing a bit. He hadn’t known that.

“Don’t worry, you can’t miss them.” Roman said, Remus nodding in agreement. “They stayed out later than I expected them too. Where did they say they were going again?” He looked to his twin.

Remus shrugged. “Some new spot Pat discovered in the forest. Or maybe it was a floating island? I don’t really pay attention anymore, we can always just ask Lolo to find them if we need them that badly. He never leaves his study, after all.”

“That’s not true. Logan leaves his study. He just doesn’t do it while the rest of us are around, because you two are very loud and it is very annoying.” Virgil responded, his tone suggesting that he was trying to start something.

“Stormcloud how could you!” Roman said, pressing his hand to his chest and fell back dramatically, a fake expression of hurt flashing across his face. “My pride is wounded! By my dearest friend, no less! I shall never recover from this.”

Thomas snorted. Roman immediately sat back up, beaming, and even Virgil had a small smirk on his face. Okay, he could get used to living with these people. They really did seem like normal human beings.

Suddenly Remus perked up, frozen as his eyes ticked back and forth at the tree line where the forest began. He sniffed the air once, and grinned.

“Well, either Janus and Patton are back, or he heard a squirrel in the trees.” Virgil commented, looking like he was only half joking. Thomas laughed anyway.

“Definitely the squirrel.” Roman said. “I can hear Pat and Jan, but he’s looking in the wrong direction.” It seemed he had something of a love hate relationship with his brother’s antics. He nodded towards another part of the tree line, and Thomas tensed almost imperceptibly. He wasn’t quite sure why he was nervous, there was nothing to be afraid of really. Everyone else said that Patton was the sweetest person alive, and he had definitely come to Thomas’s aid when he needed help. That had to count for something. But he supposed there would always be that hesitance at knowing this was the person who could make him fall asleep with the snap of his fingers. Literally.

Two people came into view, breaking through the tree line, and Thomas got his first good look at the person in the woods who found him. He was… adorable, there was no other way to describe it really, and he smiled brightly in a way that suggested he did quite often. He had changed dresses, this one was a pretty pale green, and had puffy sleeves and a long skirt that puddled slightly on the ground. Even without the actual glow he carried at night, he still looked completely radiant.

The person next to him was completely different, almost as if he were designed to be an exact opposite to Patton. He had dark brown hair with golden tips, and mismatched eyes, one was brown, and the other was the same shade of gold as his hair. Half of his face was covered in glittering yellow-green scales that caught the light in an elegant yet somehow eerie way, and he had fangs just barely peeking out from underneath his upper lip. He was dressed in a suit with a yellow undershirt and yellow gloves, not at all something Thomas would have expected someone to wear into the forest. He looked like a walking caution sign. 

The two spirits weren’t paying attention to them, just talking with one another and staring into each other’s eyes. Right away, Thomas could instantly tell that they were madly in love. Patton’s eyes flicked over to the stairs where they were sitting briefly, but then he turned his head sharply at the sight of Thomas, and his smile somehow grew even brighter. 

“You’re awake!” He said, causing the other spirit, Janus, he was pretty sure, to look over at them and smile calmly. Patton left his husband’s side and flew over to them, his wings beating quickly, and sat down next to Thomas. “Are you feeling alright?” Thomas nodded mutely, not quite ready for the spontaneous energy of the spirit in front of him. “Okay good! I assume that the others got you caught up on everything?”

Thomas nodded again, and this time he tried to speak. “Um… yeah. Thank you for… for helping me. You really didn’t have to do so much for me.”

Patton frowned. “Well I wasn’t going to leave a kid in a forest unfamiliar to them in the middle of the night. The woods aren’t really all that dangerous, there’s not much that could actually hurt you, but there are many things that a mortal new to the realm wouldn’t understand. I know that must have been frightening for you.”

_ Oh you have no idea. _ He thought, but didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he just smiled. “Well, thank you anyway.” 

“Of course.” Patton put his hand on Thomas’s. “You seem to be adjusting pretty well, which I’m glad. I was hoping I could talk to you alone when I got back, so would you be comfortable with that?”

“Uh…” Thomas wasn’t sure if he was allowed to say no to that. Sure, Patton seemed nice, but the fact that they were spirits hadn’t been  _ entirely  _ forgotten. It wasn’t that he was scared to be alone with him though, if he wanted to do anything to him he would have done so last night when Thomas had been too exhausted to do anything, so he didn’t know why he was hesitating really. 

“Sure.” He said after a pause that felt like it was just a bit too long. He resisted the urge to cringe at how awkward he was being. Why couldn’t he just loosen up?

Patton’s smile softened. He must have sensed his discomfort. “C’mon, we’ll talk in the back gardens.” He stood up, and Thomas stood up reluctantly as well, following after Patton as he started to walk in the other direction. Shooting a glance over his shoulder, he saw Roman give him a thumbs up, while Virgil gave him a two fingered salute. Remus was still growling at the squirrel, and he suddenly got up and ran into the forest, presumably to chase it.

Patton led him around to the side of the truly massive house, and opened a gate into what looked like a maze of bushes that came up to Thomas’s waist. Thomas followed Patton into it, gripping his forearms and looking around, noting all the gates which led to different sections of the garden or exited out of them. 

“You can relax, you know. I’m not going to hurt you.” Patton’s tone was casual enough, but Thomas could hear that he was doing his best to keep it as gentle as possible. The spirit walked over to one of the benches and patted the space next to him. An invitation, or an order? He wasn’t going to chance making Patton angry. Thomas carefully walked over and sat down, still stiff in his posture. 

There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence before Patton spoke up again. “I’m guessing that your father wasn’t the kindest to you, was he?” Thomas’s eyes widened, and he swallowed. Oh yeah, Patton had probably picked up on that after everything Thomas had told him about last night, hadn’t he? He nodded, and Patton placed a hand on his shoulder. Thomas didn’t flinch, but it was a very close thing. 

“I’m sorry.” Patton said. “I understand what it’s like to have less than ideal parents.”

Thomas’s head snapped up in surprise. “You do?” 

Patton smiled, his eyes going distant. It was clear that he was remembering something not very pleasant. “Well, mine weren’t physically abusive, but I was never enough for them. They were dismissive at best, and angry at worst. They abused me verbally many, many times, tearing any semblance of confidence I had apart under the guise that they ‘just wanted what was best for me.’ I’m sure your father told you that as well at some point, it seems that all abused children have heard that before. As if that were an excuse for the way they treat us.” 

“Y-yeah.” Thomas said, unsure of what else to say. He knew that what his father did to him wasn’t just because he wanted to help Thomas, but there was still that voice in the back of his mind that made him doubt that. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was heading, though. It was good to know that Patton understood what he had been through. 

“Thomas.” Patton said, his smile gone. His eyes were sad. “I know what it’s like to suddenly have to leave your entire world behind. To be forced from your life, even if you didn’t like it. Unlike the others here, I wasn’t born a spirit.”

“You… weren’t?” Thomas blinked, confused. He had thought that was the only option. How else would someone become a spirit? “How…”

“Is that possible?” Patton huffed a little, the faintest ghost of a smile returning to his features. “It’s complicated, but there was something special about my soul that allowed me to project myself into the spirit realm in my sleep, and turn into a spirit when I finally came to it in real life. It had to be unlocked, and I don’t know anyone else like me. But the point is, I get it. Really, I do. We’ve both seen the grittier, messier parts of the world, but we haven’t let it define us. You haven’t let it define you. You have gone through so much and you’ve still turned out so kind. That is a very hard thing to do.”

Thomas blushed, brushing a strand of loose hair out of his hair self consciously. Hmm, it was getting kind of long. “You don’t know that. You don’t even know me, you met me yesterday.” He said, unsure of how Patton could say that when they just met.

Patton laughed. “I can tell. I’m the spirit of dreams, the heart and soul, and emotions, after all. I can read a person’s soul, and yours is still as kind as ever. You remind me a lot of myself.” His face turned thoughtful, and he reached down and gently grabbed Thomas’s wrist. “Thomas, have you ever heard of spirit markings?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Thomas furrowed his brow. Spirit markings? He didn’t think he’d ever even heard of the term. “Uh… no, I don’t think so.” He said, chewing on his thumb nail. Was he supposed to know what they were?

Patton didn’t look annoyed, though, and just smiled. “Well, I’m not surprised. I didn’t learn about them until I became a spirit myself, and they’re very rare, seeing as they are given by the spirits themselves, who hardly ever come down to the mortal realm. Like everything about spirits, it’s complicated, but basically when a spirit marks a human as theirs, usually through a tattoo on their wrist, though there are other methods. They’re usually of whatever animal the spirit is, though there is sometimes a personal touch to each one. 

“Spirits mark humans who they relate to, who they sense a kindred soul in, or just those who really seem to need their protection. Being marked means that nothing can touch you without risking the wrath of the spirit who has marked you. Nature will recognize that you have been marked and keep you safe, and even the most volatile and malevolent spirits respect them.”

“Oh… that’s cool.” Thomas said, staring down at where Patton was still gently holding his wrist.

“I’ve never marked a human personally, and I’ve only really been around for a couple decades at this point, but I know that Janus has marked a couple before. I think Logan has as well. Janus told me that he tried to mark me, but he couldn’t. Spirits can’t mark other spirits, even though at the time, I wasn’t technically a spirit, and just had the soul of one.” Patton was rambling, looking a bit nervous.

“Okay… why are you telling me all of this?” Thomas eyed the spirit suspiciously.

“Oh, well, I was just thinking…” Patton lifted Thomas’s wrist off the bench. “Thomas, would you be okay with it if I marked you?” 

It took a few seconds for the question to fully register in his mind. Then, “ _ What? _ ” He couldn’t actually be serious? Patton wanted to… mark Thomas as his? It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea, it was just that he… didn’t think Patton would want to. And on top of that, it was a little surprising that he asked him. If he wanted to, he would just do it, right? He was a spirit, he could do whatever he wanted. 

Patton rubbed the back of his neck. “I know spirits don’t usually ask before doing this kind of stuff,” He said, as if he had read Thomas’s mind. “but I’ve never done it before and I don’t want to do anything you aren’t okay with.”

“What… what would it mean for me?” Thomas asked.

Patton hummed. “Well… I guess what the markings mean is up for interpretation for every spirit, but… to me it almost kind of feels like I would be… unofficially adopting you. I’d protect you and make sure you were happy and you’d still be free to do whatever you wanted, and you wouldn’t have to live with us or anything like that, but if you ever needed anything… I’d be there to help you. Kind of like… what fathers are supposed to be.” Thomas suddenly felt a lump form in his throat for some reason he couldn't quite discern. He was… actually serious about this. Huh. Thomas’s vision started to blur. He looked up at Patton, who was staring at him with the kindest expression he had ever seen on anyone’s face.

“And… what would happen if I said no?” He asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer but also wanting to know if this was really his choice or not.

“Absolutely nothing.” Patton replied. “You’d be free to go about your life, and I’d still continue to help you in whatever ways I can. The marking was just to make sure that everyone else knew what you meant to me.”

Thomas swallowed, and suddenly it felt like it was a little difficult to breathe. He had spent last night running for his life, sure that he was going to either fail in his goal, get himself killed, or both, and now a spirit, one of the almost all powerful beings that ruled over the world, was offering to take him in and make sure that he would never hurt again. He wanted to protect Thomas. It was a lot, but he knew what his answer was.

“Y-yeah, okay. Sure. I’ll… let you mark me.” He said quietly. Patton smiled gently, but there was excitement hidden in his eyes as well.

He turned Thomas’s wrist over and pressed the palm of his hand to it, and immediately, Thomas felt a buzzing sensation. It kind of tickled a little bit, but he didn’t say anything for fear of breaking Patton’s concentration. Patton began chanting in a language Thomas didn’t recognize or understand, and then blue light started to shine around the edges of his hand. A gentle breeze blew through the garden out of nowhere, ruffling their hair and making the tips of Thomas’s ears a bit chilly. The sun was nearly gone by now, and though it wasn’t cold, it wasn’t super warm either.

Then, the breeze stopped, the light faded, and everything around them went unnaturally still for a few moments. Patton removed his hand, and Thomas stared down at his wrist. Where there had previously been nothing, now there was a small tattoo of a blue butterfly. The same kind of butterfly that Patton appeared to be. He could tell because the wings and coloring looked the same. It was quite pretty, it glowed ever so slightly, and when he touched it, the glow increased.

“Woah.” He breathed, absolutely mesmerized by the sight in front of him. That was really cool. 

Patton laughed softly. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Thomas nodded, not looking up and continuing to study the new marking. “Welcome home, Thomas.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking around and reading this!! I had a lot of fun writing this and while I will probably be leaving this universe untouched for a little bit, there are a few pieces I want to write in the future. However as of now I think that I will focus more on my other projects.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to start as just a one shot like The Keeper of Dreams, but now it's turned into a four parter and I don't know how to feel about that.
> 
> Why am I like this?


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